Free Aadhaar Biometric Update for Children: 2026 Deadline

If you are the parent of a 10-year-old whose Aadhaar was made when they were a toddler, this matters to you now. That Aadhaar carries no fingerprints or iris scan, and until recently updating it cost ₹125 per child. From 1 October 2025, UIDAI has made that biometric update free for one full year for children in the 7 to 15 age band. About six crore children are expected to benefit.

Short on time? Jump to the numbered steps under “How to do the biometric update” below. You only need the child, the child's Aadhaar number, and a proof document.

When a child under 5 is enrolled for Aadhaar, UIDAI does not capture fingerprints or iris. Those biometrics develop and change as the child grows. So the system relies on a Mandatory Biometric Update, or MBU - a one-time in-person capture of the child's biometrics at the right age.

There are two such updates. The first MBU (MBU-1) is required once the child turns 5. The second MBU (MBU-2) is required at age 15, when fingerprints and iris have settled into their adult form.

The fee waiver, announced by UIDAI under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, covers the 7 to 15 age band. UIDAI has also asked schools to help complete children's biometric updates, since most children in this band are in school.

Note: “7 to 15 years” is the exact band UIDAI has set for the free facility. If your child is in this band, act during the free window.

The update must be done in person - it cannot be done online, because fingerprints, iris and photo have to be captured fresh. Follow these steps.

1. Find and book an Aadhaar Seva Kendra or enrolment centre. Use the UIDAI “Book an Appointment” facility or visit the nearest Aadhaar enrolment centre. A booked slot saves you a long wait.
2. Take the child along in person. The child must be physically present. Biometrics cannot be captured in the child's absence.
3. Carry the child's Aadhaar number and a proof document. Bring the Aadhaar number or card and one supporting document from the list below.
4. Let the operator capture the biometrics. The operator records the child's fingerprints, iris and a fresh photograph and links them to the existing Aadhaar.
5. Collect the acknowledgement slip. Keep the slip with the Update Request Number. Use it to track the status until the update reflects in the child's Aadhaar.

• The child's Aadhaar number or Aadhaar card.
• A proof of identity or relationship document for the child as required by the centre.
• The parent's or guardian's Aadhaar, since a parent or guardian accompanies the child.
• The acknowledgement or Update Request Number slip from any earlier attempt, if you have one.

Carry originals. Centres may also ask for a self-attested copy.

UIDAI's general caution is clear: if a child's biometrics are not updated at the required ages, the Aadhaar may face authentication problems and can eventually be deactivated. That can disrupt school admissions, scholarships, exam forms and any service that needs Aadhaar verification.

There is no need to panic about a specific cut-off date - UIDAI has not announced one. But because the free window lasts only one year from 1 October 2025, doing the update now avoids both the future ₹125 charge and any later authentication trouble. If your child's biometrics are locked or failing, see how to fix a locked Aadhaar biometric and authentication failure.

If an enrolment centre keeps turning you away, says the slot is unavailable, or sits on your request, you can use the Right to Information Act to ask UIDAI or the registrar for the status in writing. An RTI can ask: how many appointment slots are open, why a request was not processed, and the timeline for completing it.

Read the step-by-step on how to file an RTI for an Aadhaar update or correction, and draft the application in minutes with the AI RTI Drafter tool. For the wider rules on filing and appeals, see The RTI Playbook. Keep the RTI short and factual - you do not need a long letter to ask for a status.

Yes, if the child is aged 7 to 15 years. UIDAI waived the biometric update charge for this band and made the facility free for one year from 1 October 2025. Before this, UIDAI charged ₹125 for a biometric update done after age seven. Do the update during the free window to avoid the fee.

Two ages. The first Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU-1) is required once the child turns 5. The second (MBU-2) is required at age 15. A child enrolled before age 5 has no fingerprints or iris on record, so these are captured at the MBU. Both fall inside the free 7 to 15 band relief where applicable.

No. The update must be done in person at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra or enrolment centre. Fingerprints, iris and a fresh photo have to be captured by an operator. You can book the appointment online, but the biometric capture itself needs the child to be physically present.

First, book a confirmed appointment slot and keep the acknowledgement slip. If the centre still delays or refuses without reason, you can file an RTI to UIDAI or the registrar asking for the status and the reason. See the RTI-for-Aadhaar-update guide and use the AI RTI Drafter to prepare it quickly.

No. The biometric update links fresh fingerprints, iris and photo to the existing Aadhaar number. The number does not change. If the child's name or other details differ across documents, fix those separately - see how to fix a PAN-Aadhaar name mismatch.

• Check your child's age - if 7 to 15, you are in the free band.
• Book a slot at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra or enrolment centre.
• Keep the child's Aadhaar number and a proof document ready.
• Plan to take the child in person - online capture is not possible.
• If you have faced a refusal, bookmark the RTI-for-Aadhaar-update guide.

• Aadhaar biometric locked or authentication failing - how to fix it
• Fixing a PAN-Aadhaar name mismatch in KYC
• Applying for a minor child's first passport
• How to file an RTI for an Aadhaar update

Regulator: UIDAI, under the Ministry of Electronics and IT. Figures as announced by UIDAI; the free window runs one year from 1 October 2025. Verify the current status at your nearest Aadhaar Seva Kendra.